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River: Mercurial River
The Mercurial River watershed in central Larnach covers about a third of the continent's area. The widest, primarily north-south branch, runs about 2,600 miles (4,184.3 km) from its headwaters to the delta where it joins the sea. The longest, primarily northwest-southeast branch, runs about 3,800 miles (6,115.5 km). In some places the lower river, before it reaches the delta, measures more than a mile wide. This makes it the longest and largest river in Quiar. It somewhat resembles the Mississippi River. The name comes both from color and temperament. Various deposits of limestone, gray clay, white marble, shale, and blue granite give the water a silvery to grayish tone that changes based on recent rainfall and runoff. The river also floods readily and can wreak great havoc at those times. It has a well-deserved reputation for tearing down bridges and washing out levees. Sometimes it beaches or sinks boats, and it can easily kill unwary swimmers. Sensible people have learned not to crowd the Mercurial River. Unfortunately, not all people are sensible, so some conflicts still occur. The river wins about three out of five falls. The Mercurial River flows through open prairie, low rolling hills, stone bluffs, and lush hardwood forests during various stretches of its course. Its wide deposits of silt make the surrounding valley some of the richest farmland in Larnach. Therefore fields also border the river in many areas. Farmers bring grain, livestock, and other staples to ship out. Wildlife includes numerous species of freshwater fish as well as nonsentient amphibians, mammals, and waterfowl. Because so many species of mammals are sentient, a lot of the omnivorous and carnivorous races rely heavily on fish to provide the meat in their diet. Mercurial fish species include bass, bullhead, carp, catfish, gar, sturgeon, sunfish, trout, and walleye. The nightcat is a species of black catfish that absorbs ambient magic and returns it to the core of the world, which contributes to a channel of magic following the river's course. They are inedible as a result of this. The silver gar absorbs power from magical rain and can release it in a nasty jolt that affects people worse the higher their own magic. A notable amphibian is the kickfrog, favored by predators who need live food; wild kickfrogs are abundant near the river and reach about one pound, with domesticated breeds even larger. Mammals include bobcats, chipmunks, coyotes, elk, gophers, mink, muskrats, and voles. River birds include bank swallows, bitterns, catbirds, crows, curlews, flickers, flycatchers, grebes, grouse, kites, moorhens, ospreys, plovers, rails, skimmers, spoonbills, and terns. Grouse are fat and plentiful, a popular food source for omnivores and carnivores. Crows have the annoying habit of stealing shiny things, and especially small magical items such as charms. Water takes about 90 days to flow from the headwaters to the sea along the Mercurial River. It has a main channel navigable for a majority of its length, plus tributaries with some additional access. This river system provides a vital transportation route through the middle of the continent. Numerous towns and cities along its banks manage shipping and trade. Several major bridges cross the Mercurial River. There are also a number of minor bridges, fords, and ferries. Marble Arches is a picturesque stone bridge made from white marble with flashy golden veins of pyrite, located at the town of Sheepshank. The longest bridge across the Mercurial River assembles just north of Seahorse Port. Barge Bridge is, as the name suggests, essentially a pontoon bridge made from boats that can be joined for road traffic and then separated for shipping traffic. Category:Rivers